After being forced to abandon its plan to start production in South Australia, the electric motorcycle manufacturer Fonz Moto shed multiple challenges and celebrated its milestone of manufacturing and selling 100 NKD electric motorcycles.
Car and bicycle manufacturers of all shapes and sizes have encountered supply chain shortages, and the pandemic restrictions have forced the Sydney-based company to re-evaluate plans to expand to South Australia and focus on local suppliers.
After establishing itself as a manufacturer of electric mopeds, the first electric motorcycle was launched in 2019 and plans to utilize South Australian manufacturing technology.
Due to the Covid pandemic and the shortage of lithium-ion batteries and chips used to make Fonz motorcycle battery packs, these plans fell through. Fonz Moto founder Michelle Nazzari said the company decided to start manufacturing from a more compact factory near Redfern’s headquarters.
"Since Fonz is headquartered in Sydney, we made the decision in early 2020 to bring our production plan closer to China and to produce in our'Urban Micro Factory'. Since then, the team has moved from our compact production plant in Redfern. 100 NKDs were delivered," Nazari said in an email.
By cooperating with local suppliers, the company achieved the milestone of manufacturing 100 NKD bicycles and strengthened its concept of using Australian-made components as much as possible.
"There is a lot of greenery these days. It is important for us to source locally and obtain certification to prove that such products can be made in Australia," Nazzari said, adding that NKD has obtained the "Made in Australia" certification.
Nazzari said that the company's factory can produce up to 20 motorcycles a month and is now looking for a larger site for the company to expand further.
NKD is referred to by the company as the "fun of divestiture" and is available for purchase via the Fonz Moto website for $10,990. It is available in a variety of colors, but Adam Kaplan, the former racer who owns the carbon fiber body kit NKD X and the owner of the Sydney car dealership, is very excited.
With an acceleration of 0-100 km/h and a top speed of 100 km/h, he described NKD as a "prudent and stable" ride.
Kaplan said in a report through Fonz: "The power output makes my back seat happy. I laugh every time we spray it with water, and its riding must be down to earth and stable. I like it. Overtake unsuspecting vehicles when going uphill," Kaplan said.
Bridie Schmidt is the chief reporter of The Driven, a sister site of Renew Economy. Since 2018, she has been writing articles about electric vehicles and has a keen interest in the role of zero-emission transportation in sustainable development. She participated in podcasts, such as downloading the show with Marc Fennell and participating in numerous scientific events with Karl Kruszelnicki, and was the co-organizer of the Beihe Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model 3, which can be rented on evee.com.au.
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